Greek Halva Cake with Pomegranate Arils

A {Late} Merry Christmas to all!  I recreated Yiayia's halva cake that our family has loved & enjoyed over many years.  She doesn't make it any longer;  it was time for someone else to take over.  Although it is undoubtedly a festive, hearty dessert, you can make this any time of year!  My only wish is that we would have remembered to take a picture of this beauty plated on Christmas Day in all of its glory with decorative ferns on a bay and holly plate!

All of the ingredients of this super-simple cake might already be in your pantry! It's also no-bake; cream of wheat is cooked with sweetened milk on the stove and pressed into a mold.  Traditionally, it calls for toasted almonds, pine nuts, and sometimes citrus zest, but I've added gorgeous red pomegranate seeds for Christmas. Enjoy!  

Festive Christmas Halva Cake

2 c. organic cane sugar
3 c. organic whole milk
1 stick organic butter
14 oz. farina/Cream of Wheat (small box or 1/2 larger sized box)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 c pomegranate arils (you can sub almond slivers, toasted pine nuts, etc.)

In a saucepan melt butter over low heat, add farina and lightly toast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring {very} frequently until just golden brown.  Keep an eye on it and do not allow to darken or burn!

In another saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cinnamon & vanilla. Heat to medium until sugar dissolves or about 10 minutes. Don't boil.

Slowly add the sweetened milk to the toasted farina and cook a few minutes until mixture is very thick and holds its shape. 

Spread pomegranate into bottom of a lightly greased metal or bpa free plastic mold (think small bundt cake). Scoop the farina mixture on the bottom of the pomegranate seeds,  pressing down to pack firmly.

Allow to cool. We always chilled ours in the refrigerator and served cold.  When ready to serve, turn the mold onto a serving plate and tap until it unmolds. Cut into 1 inch serving pieces. 

Green Goddess Soup {Vegan}

Mmm...good for the body and the soul.  This creamy vegetable soup is thick, tart and super satisfying, thanks to the brown rice.  It reminds me a bit of Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheddar Soup...without all of the junk.  It has EIGHT organic vegetables in it, it's vegan and all-natural.  As you can tell, I'm pretty excited to have discovered it, and recommend you make it if you are:

• ...vegan or vegetarian
• ...a vegetable lover
• ...lactose intolerant
• ...on a weight-loss plan
• ...need a way to get in more veggies
• ...need a way to make veggies taste good
• ...wanting a good lunch to bring to work all week
• ...in love with cream of broccoli soup

;) ...in any case, check out this deliciousness:

Leek, Broccoli, Asparagus, Zucchini, Celery, Lake, Parsley and Garlic Soup

Green Goddess Soup

Makes about 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

2 c leeks 

2 c broccoli 

2 c asparagus

2 c zucchini

2 c celery

2 c kale, stems removed

2 T parsley (minced)

2 cloves (1 T) garlic (minced)

1/2 c organic brown rice  - I used Jasmine

3 T olive oil

2-3 teaspoons sea salt 

Black pepper

1-2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

Water 

Directions:

Step 1 - prep the veg: The first step is to wash and prep the veggies.   Chop all of the veggies (besides garlic and parsley) into bite sized pieces BEFORE measuring it. Mince the garlic and parsley.  Here's what mine looked like all prepped:

Step 2 - saute + soften:  In a large pot, heat your olive oil over medium heat.  Sprinkle sea salt over your veggies (you can always add more). Saute stirring frequently, until the veggies are very soft, and start to expel water, like this:

 Step 3 - water + simmer:  Add water - about 4-5 cups to start - enough to cover the veggies by a couple of inches (they will float up).  Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4 - thicken + season:  Mix in the uncooked brown rice, minced garlic and parsley. Bring to a boil and then return to low. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes or until rice is soft (taste test it!).

Step 5 - give it a lemony blenddddd:  Add in the 1-2 T lemon (I went with 2). Stick in the immersion blender (or, blend in a blender) and whiz away until you reach desired consistency. Add more water if you want to thin it out.  Taste and season/adjust with more salt, pepper, lemon.  You can let it simmer for a few more minutes if you'd like, but it's done.

This was really tasty with 2 teaspoons of Parmesan-Romano and a bit of Sriracha stirred in at the end.  I had 2.5 bowls for dinner tonight.  Enjoy!

FOOD RENEGADE

Green Veggie + Egg Scramble

break·fast /ˈbrekfəst/ Noun A meal eaten in the morning, the first of the day. 

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" and my personal mantra:  "You can't eat greens all day unless you start in the morning!" ;) Eating a solid breakfast is important to ensuring sound nutrition, and for kicking metabolism into gear for the day.  An ideal way to break your fast in the morning is with a full 16 oz glass of h2o (with a lemon wedge if you have it), even before a morning cup of joe.   Within a couple hours of waking, it's a really good idea to eat.   Despite what General Mills has decided is a "complete" breakfast (sugar, carbs and several servings of OJ - more sugar-), here are the essential components to include when putting together a nourishing breakfast that will tide you over until lunch: Fiber: to keep us feeling full and maintain healthy digestion (think: veggies, banana, oatmeal) Protein: it's essential to get a decent amount of protein in EVERY meal as our bodies do not store it up for later, unfortunately (think: eggs, organic tofu, soaked beans, nuts and seeds, nut butters, chicken or turkey) Fat: gives us the staying power to tide us over if it's going to be a while before eating again.  It curbs a dip in blood sugar which would cause us to seek out sugary snacks.  Also - if we're including veggies with lots of fat soluble vitamins (GREENS!), the fat allows them to be easily absorbed Carbs: mostly if you're going to be expending a bunch of energy between now and lunch. A "complete" breakfast does NOT require toast or cereal. ;)  Also, good to remember that 1/2 a banana is actually 1 whole serving of fruit, and a serving of fruit juice is 4 ounces. NOT a pint glass. Our breakfasts alternate between the following:

 - Oatmeal: whole rolled oats topped with whatever sounds good - nuts, seeds, honey, fruit, coconut oil  or a combination

 - Vegan chocolate-banana flax pudding: Mmmmmmmm.............

 - Shakes: generally with a base of banana + coconut or almond milk and then add ins: almond, cashew or peanut butter, tahini, spirulina, dulse, soaked flax seeds, ice, honey, bee pollen, blueberries, greens.

 - Yogurt:  plain, *full fat* Greek or European style yogurt topped with almonds, pepitas, fruit, etc. (The link has some of my favorite ways to prepare it...)

 - Coconut Banana Pancakes:  always a favorite!

 - Egg + veggie scramble with whatever veggies are stocked in the fridge plus organic eggs, cooked in organic butter and olive oil.

Eggs scrambled with kale, onions, broccoli, romano-parm cheese.

Can't eat greens all day unless you start in the morning!   ;)

I love adding greens and other veggies to egg scrambles.  It helps make the breakfast more filling and ensures a GREAT start to the day with all of those vitamins and minerals!  The best part is being able to customize it every day with different veggie additions from the fridge, so it never gets boring.  Sometimes it's peppers, mushrooms and spinach, other times it's kale, broccoli and onions.  If there is cheese in the fridge, I might a bit of that too. Here's what I made this morning:

Green Veggie Scramble

(Recipe for 2)

Ingredients:

1/3 c white onions, diced

2 handfuls of chopped tuscan kale 

1 c broccoli florets, roughly chopped

Pat of organic butter

Drizzle of olive oil

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

4 organic eggs

1/2 an avocado - makes a pretty delish garnish!

Directions:

Heat a large frying pan to medium and add butter + olive oil.  (The olive oil helps keep the butter from getting too hot which causes it to sizzle and brown). Sautee the onions, kale & broccoli in together for several minutes until soft and fragrant.  Add the eggs (I don't usually even bother whisking them first) and the cheese and scramble for another 5 minutes or so, until done.   Plate with avocado and bring out your favorite hot sauce(s) from the fridge.  Done!

Food Renegade!

Super Easy Peanut Butter & Banana Cookies {Gluten Free}

Heading out for dinner at a girlfriend's house tonight, I wanted to make something pretty quick and relatively nourishing.    Here's what I came up with (of course after using a few recipes for inspiration).

Peanut Butter, Banana & Cacao Cookies {Gluten Free}
Prepped & Baked in <20 min!
{Makes 12 large or 24 small}

1 c crunchy organic peanut butter
1/2 c organic brown sugar
1.5 smashed ripe bananas
1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c cacao nibs (or chocolate chips)


In a food processor, first puree bananas.  Next, add all ingredients (except cacao nibs) and pulse until blended well.  Fold in the nibs.  Spoon onto a lightly-greased, foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  THAT'S IT!

These turned out tasty!  I used less sugar than what other recipes called for, so these aren't too sweet. In fact, they'd be a good breakfast cookie.  They're soft, chewy, delicious and satisfying.   The cacao nibs are a crunchy superfood alternative to chocolate.

P.S. I am a FOOD RENEGADE!

http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-january-11th/